Planning for Sept-Oct 2025 - A few questions I have

[Canadian Harmony]

hi all! I've been invited to go on a cruise out of Rome in 2025, so naturally I suggested we fly in-out of Paris and explore DLP for two and a half days! I know it's a long time in the future, but I like to make my budget as far out as possible so I know I can afford it.

I have a few questions and I know you can answer them for me. I did my searching on the site, but can't find these answers:

- at DLR and WDW I can use Disney gift cards to pay for all food and souvies. Is this possible in DLP? I couldn't find anything about gift cards - only credit cards - on the site.

- if gift cards are not accepted, is there a pre-paid visa card available to load instead of using my mastercard? I'm not a fan of foreign exchange fees.

- I will be using my DVC points for our stay at the New York Marvel hotel. When I book this, would it be more effective to call DVC and book and get my tickets at the same time, or should find a cheaper deal (I've found one which saves me a whopping $6!) and buy tix separately?

- when we land at Charles de Gaulle, is taking the Magical bus or the train a better deal? We'll only have one check bag and one carry-on to deal with it. Taking into account speed - I think the train, yes? But is the bus more convenient?

- in your personal opinion, which is one restaurant I should not miss? You can split into QS, TS, and Character if you'd like.

- finally, is there a ride which I should not miss? I'm a huge Big Thunder fan, so will be doing that for sure. I'm curious as to what ride you found original or a super thrill.

TIA

 

[Karin1984]

- at DLR and WDW I can use Disney gift cards to pay for all food and souvies. Is this possible in DLP? I couldn't find anything about gift cards - only credit cards - on the site.
No, this is not a thing on this side of the Atlantic. You couldn't find it, because it doesn't exist

- if gift cards are not accepted, is there a pre-paid visa card available to load instead of using my mastercard? I'm not a fan of foreign exchange fees.
As far as I know, shouldn't be a problem.

- I will be using my DVC points for our stay at the New York Marvel hotel. When I book this, would it be more effective to call DVC and book and get my tickets at the same time, or should find a cheaper deal (I've found one which saves me a whopping $6!) and buy tix separately?
Please double check this, usually using DVC at DLP is at a terrible rate. I cannot help you more specifically as there aren't many DVC members here. Best to ask this on a DVC board. And yes, there aren't really discounted tickets available when buying separately. It might save you some money, as you noticed, but it's not a lot.

- when we land at Charles de Gaulle, is taking the Magical bus or the train a better deal? We'll only have one check bag and one carry-on to deal with it. Taking into account speed - I think the train, yes? But is the bus more convenient?
How many people are in your party, if it's more than 2 a car service might be more cost effective. There have been recent threads about car services
About transportation, I replied below in another thread earlier today:
Train pro: it is the quickest option, 10 minutes.
Train con: tickets are expensive and schedule irregular. You can buy tickets in advance, but if you are delayed the next train might take a while.

Bus con: it takes 45-60 minutes (and then can still depend on the different stops)
Bus pro: Regular schedule. However, I always seem to get on the bus when the driver needs to take a break first... and I get frustrated easily by inefficient waiting

- in your personal opinion, which is one restaurant I should not miss? You can split into QS, TS, and Character if you'd like.
First of all: Lower your expectations if you are used to the US Disney parks. Food is not a priority in Disneyland Paris. It never was. It never will be. It's not bad, but it's not on the same level, it's perfectly fine themepark food. If you want great food, go to Paris (but stay out of the touristy areas)
Second: Table service meals can take longer in DLP because that's part of French culture. So plan for more time.
Third: Table service in the parks is overpriced (in my opinion) you get better value in Disney Village..

That said:
Table Service in the parks: Silver Spur Steakhouse and Captain Jack's. Remy's was not my taste.
Table Service in the Village: The Royal Pub, Annette's and Rain Forest Cafe. I have good hopes for Rosalie which will open soon.
Got a nice buffet meal at Hunter's Grill in Sequoia Lodge yesterday, was really nice.
Counter service: Hakuna Matata, Toad Hall, Cowboy Cookout
Snacks: Victoria's, Cafe de la Brousse seasonal snacking has become a thing in DLP (ED92 and DLP Reports on Facebook usually post about the seasonal snack options)
Character: Best value for a princess meal is the breakfast at the Auberge. When you go there will be more options as the Disneyland Hotel will be open again when you go and there will be several character meal options.

- finally, is there a ride which I should not miss? I'm a huge Big Thunder fan, so will be doing that for sure. I'm curious as to what ride you found original or a super thrill.
Big Thunder Mountain in Paris is the best version out of all the Disney Parks worldwide, so this is a no brainer. Phantom Manor, Pirates, Space Mountain, Pays de Contes Fees. Crush Coaster, Tower of Terror, and who knows what is ready with the Studios-makeover by the time you go.
Are you into shows? Disneyland Paris is very good at it nowadays: Mickey and the Magician and the Lion King show shouldn't be missed. We will also get a couple of new shows in the new year, so can't say anything about it yet, but also here, high hopes

 

[Canadian Harmony]

Thank you! Very helpful! It's just me and a friend, and we're going to spend a couple of days in Paris proper afterwards.

I really appreciate your answers.

 

[zavandor]

As a DVC owner, I can cofrum the point chartsnfor Disneyland Paris are extortionate. Points are usually valued around $7-9 per points with this type of exchanges, you can easily rent them for $16+. You would be much better off renting out the points and paying cash for a package hotel+tickets.
This isn't usually a good deal for WDW, but for DLP most of the time is.
When comparing the DVC point charts and a DLP package, remember that tickets are always included with the latter. And you can get sometimes other extras like free breakfast or meal plan.
You can book from any country website, so change the country to the UK, familiarise with the site and then switch to the French version.
It has been less of an issue in the last few years, but sometimes different countries run different promotions, so you can save a lot picking the offer that is better for you. If the economy slows down and revenge travel stops in Europe like it did in Florida, DLP will start running more promotions.
Of course neither DVC or packages are released yet for 2025, but you can get an idea about what's better.

The is another problem with using DVC points. If you need to cancel, the points don't go back to being usable as normal DVC points. They become "reservation points" and you can only use them for exchanges like hotels and cruises, which remain an awful value even if used on your side of the Atlantic.

 

[Lisa_C]

Definitely don’t use your DVC points to stay at DLP, it’s literally one of the worst exchanges for them you could do. I would book hotel and tickets separately, and bank your points.